Research Engineers from UCLA Create Smartphone Accessory Able to Detect E. Coli in Food

Research Engineers From UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have built a device that can accept food and water samples and then when connected to a Smartphone with a special app running, can tell diners if the food they are about to consume is tainted with the e. coli bacteria. The team has published a paper detailing their device and how it can be used to help protect people against food poisoning in the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The device works by first creating a thin film of the food or water that is to be tested, after the user drops in a sample. Next, the film is shot through another separate lends on the device with the phone’s camera. The software app on the phone then analyses the emitted light and returns a result to the user in less than a second. If negative, the diner can then commence eating in peace, knowing they won’t be harmed by anything in their food.

The secret behind the device is something called quantum dots, which are tiny semiconducting materials that respond in preprogrammed ways to different kinds of light. Every kind of material reflects light in a unique way, so by programming the quantum dots to reflect just the wavelength that is given off by light that is reflected off e. coli bacteria, the phone app can tell by looking at it, whether there is e. coli present.

The researchers say they hope to put a dent in the numbers of people that fall victim to e. coli bacterial infections leading to intense discomfort, hospitalization and in some cases death. They say that in addition to creating a device that can be used to help with a public health problem, their device opens the door to development of other types of devices that people might soon buy to detect other types of food poisoning, test local pollution levels or even check radiation of that’s a possibility.

Because they’ve only just invented the device, it’s obviously not for sale yet. They expect to do more testing to make sure the device is accurate enough that potential customers can rely on its results. After that they have to see if ways can be made to manufacture the device in a cost effective way. Thus far, the research team appears to be optimistic about both and expect a viable product to be on the market within the next year or two.


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